Gas reservior



Patented Apr. 1, 1930 PATE KONRAD {AGSCI-IITZ, OF MAINZ, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR T0 MASCI-IINENFABRIK AUGS- BURG-NURNBERG A. Ga, 0 NUREMBERG, GERMANY, A CORPORATION OF GERMANY GAS RESERVOIR Application filed February 26, 1926, Serial No. 90,981, and in Germany October 28, 1925.

My invention relates to storage reservoirs or holders for gas and the like of the class commonly referred to as disk type or dry gasometers and disclosed, for instance, in my Patent No. 1,275,696, of August 13, 1918. Such reservoirs generally consist of an upright shell or gas-holder of cylindrical or polygonal form and a sealing disk vertically movable thereinin accordance with varia tions in the gas contents of the reservoir to maintain at all times a gas-tight seal in the latter. In reservoirs of this type it is of advantage to utilize this sealing disk as an adjustable scaffold to facilitate the erection of the shell which, generally speaking, is constructed of panels arranged in superimposed courses. Under such conditions, the sealing disk is periodically raised to a predetermined extentto keep pace with the upward construction of the shell and at each stage is utilized as a working platform by the workmen. The object of the present invention isto provide a novel and efficient means whereby the sealing disk is efficiently and positively maintained in progressively higher positions in its capacity as a working platform. The invention contemplates further the utilization of the sealing disk as a carrier of and elevator for the roof-structure of the reservoir and to utilize the aforesaid roofstrueture as a protecting covering for said sealing disk during such times as the latter functions as a working platform. Other more specific objects will appear from the description hereinafter and the features of novelty will be pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates examples of the invention without defining its limits, Fig. 1 is a vertical crosssection of the reservoir as it appears at an early stage of its construction; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary detail thereof on an enlarged scale, and Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing another arrangement of the invention.

In the drawings, a represents the customary upright posts which form part of the reservoir and upon which the panels constituting the shell I) are fastened to complete the structure. The sealing disk 0 may be of any conventional construction whereby the interior of the reservoir is sealed and in the well-known way is provided with rollers h adapted to travel lengthwise of the upright posts a to facilitate the raising and lowering of the disk 0. All of the parts so far described may be of any existing form of construction. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the sealing disk 0 is provided with supporting members (Z which project upwardly from and are suitably secured upon the framework of said disk 0, the connection between said supporting members d and the framework of the disk 0 being a rigid one. The upright supports d, in addition to their other functions, serve to carry the roof structure 6, as shown in Fig. 1, it being understood that this roof structure in itself may be of, any wellknown arrangement. The upright supports (Z may themselves be constructed to include supporting hooks 7 or, as is preferred, the supporting hooks may comprise separate elements securedt-o the supporting members d by rivets or other fastening means f, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. These supporting hooks 7 are adapted to cooperate with holding members 9 detachably secured in place upon the upright posts a, as shown in the drawings, and arranged to be periodically shifted to progressively higher positions thereon as the erection of the shell proceeds. To facilitate the aforesaid vertical shifting of the holding members 9 to different positions on the posts a, removable pins 2' may be utilized in combination with a bolt 76 for temporarily clamping the holding members 9 in close surface engagement with the posts a. The holding members 9 may be of any suitable type and construction and as shown, consists of relatively thick plates provided with openings arranged to register with the rivet holes with which said posts are generally provided and which, inthe final condition of the reservoir, serve to accommodate the rivets whereby the shell panels or sections are permanently fixed in place. It will, of course, be understood that the pins 2' may be replaced by screw bolts or other equivalent fastening devices for detachably fixing the holding members 9 in them term porary locations upon the posts a- In any case, a bolt or equivalent device is provided for fixing the holding members in close surface engagement with said posts, as previously set forth, and for maintaining the pins 2' or their equivalent against unintentional disconnection from the posts a.

In carrying on the construction of a gas reservoir of the indicated type, the upright posts a are first set in place and then the sealing disk 0 is constructed and: located in its lowermost position upon the bottom of the reservoir; it will be understood that as one of the first steps in the construction of the reservoir, the sealing disk 0 is operatively combined with the posts a so as to be capable of moving upwardly thereon. The lowermost series or course of shell panels 6 is then fastened in place upon the posts a for instance, by riveting the same thereto and to each other until one annular section is completed, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. As the next step or previously thereto, the upright supporting members cl are placed in position upon the framework of the sealing disk 0 and fastened in place, and either at this stage, or subsequently thereto, a previously completed roof structure 6 is arranged in position upon said supporting members d, as shown in Fi 1. The sealing disk 0, with the roof structure 6 supported thereon by means of the supporting members (Z, is then raised to a predetermined extent so as to occupy a raised position upon the posts a for instance, as shown in Fig. 1. The holding members 9 are then secured in place upon said posts a so as to be located beneath and in engagement with the supporting hooks f; at the completion of this operation, the sealing disk 0 and the elements supported thereby, are thus firmly and securely suspended by means of the hooks f and members 9 in the aforesaid raised position. The sealing disk 0 may now be used as a scaffold or platform by the workmen for the purpose of erecting the next successive course of shell panels 7) which, as in the previous case, are secured in place, for in stance, by riveting to the posts a and to each other? The adjustment of the sealing disk 6 to progressively higher positions is successively repeated as the erection of the reservoir shell proceeds, it being understood that the holding members 9 are shifted to new positions upon the posts a for engagement by the supporting hooks f in each instance. Upon completion of the reservoir shell to its intended height, the sealing disk 0 will occupy a position at the upper end of the shell and will be so located as to support the roof structure e in proper location for attachment with the reservoir structure. It will be understood that the roof structure may be secured upon the reservoir shell in any conventional manner and with the assistance of any well-known devices. After the roof structure has been secured in place upon the reservoir shell, the connections between said roof structure and the sealing disk 0 may be broken and the latter may be returned to its lowermost or any other position for service as a sealing medium. The reservoir is ready for use as soon as the proper gas connections have been completed.

In the form shown in Fig. 3, the suspending hooks, instead of being rigidly combined with the supporting members d, comprise suspending members f distributed about the circumference of the sealing disk, only one being shown in the drawing, said members being pivotally mounted upon the supporting members cZ each by means of a pivot Z; the members f are each provided with a supporting hook or projection on and with an extension 12 adapted to lie against projections 0 fixed upon the members (Z to prevent pivotal movement of the members f in a direction in which disengagement from the members 9' would occur. In this form of the invention, a plurality of holding members g are detachably secured in place upon the posts a at spaced intervals lengthwise thereof; the holding members g may be fastened upon the posts a 1n any suitable manner as for instance, by means of bolts 70, as shown in Fig.- 3, which pass through the rivet holes with which said posts a are generally provided, it being understood that the members 9 include holes adapted to register therewith. As indicated in Fig. 3, the holding members 9 are arranged in spaced relation upon the posts a in accordance with the successively hi her positions which the scaling disk 0 is to occupy in the progressive erection of the reservoir shell. In the form of the invention now being described, it is unnecessary to periodically shift the hold ing members g each time the sealing disk is raised to a new position. That is to say, the required number of holding members 9 may be secured in place upon the posts a and the sealing disk 0 simply raised to a new position as this becomes necessary. As the sealing disk 0 is thus shifted upwardly, the projections on of the members f will engage the next highest holding members 9' and ride over the same until said projections we reach a position above such holding members g;as soon as this condition is reached, the members f will be pivotally swung by the overbalancmg effect of the extensions n, to positions in which the projections m lie over and in engagement with said holding members g, as indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The pivotal movement of the members f which is required dur- I ing the passage of the projections m over given holding members g, is readily possible for the reason that said members 7 are freely movable in the required direction, as will be obvious from an inspection of the aforesaid Fig. 3. Pivotal movement of the members f in the opposite direction, is prevented by the engagement of the extensions 72 with the fixed projections 0, so that the projections m are held in fixed suspending engagement with given holding members 9 andcannot become unintentionally disengaged theretrom.

The successive shifting of the sealing disk 0 and the elements carried thereby may be brought about through the medium of any suitable mechanism or by air pressure introduced in the space in the partly completed shell below the sealing disk. The invention in all of its forms provides a simple and efficient device whereby the sealing disk 0 is positively l'lXGCl in successively higher positions in which it serves adequately as a scaffold for the workmen and from which the progressive upbuilding or" the reservoir shell may be carried on with safety and with a minimum of effort. By supporting the roof structure upon the sealing disk 0 in the manner described, this roof structure is not only raised to its final position in progressive upward steps, butit also serves during the progressive erection of the reservoir shell, as a cover for the diskcand as a complete protection for the workmen upon such disk and for any building or other. materials which may be carried thereby during such construction work. vVhile the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 requires the holding members 9 to be periodically shifted upward in accordance with the step by step raising of the sealing disk, this operation is not required in the form shown in Fig. 3. In the latter arrangement, the members ,1 operate in the nature of pawls and simply ride over the progressively higher holding members g and become automatically engaged therewith as the disk is progressively raised to new positions.

Various changes in the specific form shown and described may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. In an arrangement for use in building gas reservoirs of the disk type, the combination of upright posts on which a shell is adapted to be built up in courses, a sealing disk vertically slidable in said shell and serving as a working scaffold for erecting I the shell in progressive courses, said sealing disk being arranged to be raised to progressively higher levels as the erection of the shell proceeds, upright supporting members on said sealing disk, a roof structure adapted to constitute the roof of the completed reservoir mounted upon said supporting members and forming a protective covering for said sealing disk, holding members mounted on said upright posts, and suspending hooks carried by said supporting members and arranged to detachably engage said holding members for positively supporting said sealceeds, supporting members on said sealing disk, a roof structure adapted to constitute the roof of the completed reservoir mounted upon said supporting members and forming a protective covering for said sealing disk, a plurality of holding members mounted on said upright posts at spaced intervals, and suspending hooks pivotally mounted on said support and adapted to ride over and automatically engage successive holding members as the sealing disk is'raised to positively support said sealing disk and the roof structure at said progressively higher levels.

In testimony whereof I have hereuntoset my hand.

KONRAD JAGSOHITZ. 

